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The Tale of an Incompetent Inspector

IRC.........R101.2 Scope. The provisions of the International Residential Code for One- and Two-family Dwellings shall apply to the construction, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, removal and demolition of detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade plane in height with a separate means of egress ***************************and their accessory structures.
 
I would in in trouble if I enforced wall bracing here in PA. The township would get a new third party inspector, and I would be looking for a new job. PA also took wall bracing out of the 2009 IRC and referred to the 2006 IRC.
 
Rick....wall bracing is in 2006........R602.10 Wall bracing.

All exterior walls shall be braced in accordance with this section. In addition, interior braced wall lines shall be provided in accordance with Section R602.10.1.1. For buildings in Seismic Design Categories D0, D1 and D2, walls shall be constructed in accordance with the additional requirements of Sections R602.10.9, R602.10.11, and R602.11.

They are just trying to make it more understandable and therefore enforceable in the newer codes....
 
Rick18071 said:
I would in in trouble if I enforced wall bracing here in PA. The township would get a new third party inspector, and I would be looking for a new job. PA also took wall bracing out of the 2009 IRC and referred to the 2006 IRC.
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How many times do we have to hear that story? Really? Is that an excuse to not do your job? This is why there is so much trouble enforcing simple, basic, minimum requirements when inspectors "sell out" to perceived issues and use that as an excuse to not perform their job. I'm not apologizing for this statement either. This is total BS and nothing more than a copout.

(Insert photo of testicles in a jar held by someone else here)
 
jar546 said:
How many times do we have to hear that story? Really? Is that an excuse to not do your job? This is why there is so much trouble enforcing simple, basic, minimum requirements when inspectors "sell out" to perceived issues and use that as an excuse to not perform their job. I'm not apologizing for this statement either. This is total BS and nothing more than a copout.(Insert photo of testicles in a jar held by someone else here)
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No need to apologize for the statement - but I will chime in with a question, and a statement.

The question: Jar - I understand that you work as hired third party inspector in many jurisdictions. Have you worked as an on staff AHJ inspector?

The statement: Politics exist. The system exists. Sometimes you have to play by other's rules. I don't like it, and I bucked it for many years. Had to decide a long time ago - do I give up, and leave the system because we do not enforce 100% of the book as written and adopted, or do I stay the course, do my absolute best within the constraints of the system, and work to make improvements whenever I can?

Been here 18 years. Seen a lot of change. I think I'll stick around and keep moving the bar higher every chance I get.
 
Darren Emery said:
No need to apologize for the statement - but I will chime in with a question, and a statement. The question: Jar - I understand that you work as hired third party inspector in many jurisdictions. Have you worked as an on staff AHJ inspector?

The statement: Politics exist. The system exists. Sometimes you have to play by other's rules. I don't like it, and I bucked it for many years. Had to decide a long time ago - do I give up, and leave the system because we do not enforce 100% of the book as written and adopted, or do I stay the course, do my absolute best within the constraints of the system, and work to make improvements whenever I can?

Been here 18 years. Seen a lot of change. I think I'll stick around and keep moving the bar higher every chance I get.
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The following is a statement directed at an industry, not a specific person.

Yes, I have been a staff employee as a BCO and inspector and know first hand what you are talking about. I also have a 3rd party agency that has the exact same issues, except worse because it is easier to not renew your contract than it is to fire an employee.

1) I have lost contracts because I refuse to play politics

2) I have had contracts terminated because I refuse to play politics and cave in

3) I will continue to lose business because we don't play the game and continue to treat everyone fair and equal and enforce these simple, minimum rules.

The difference between myself and some others is that:

I refuse to compromise my integrity like some of you do.

I sleep at night knowing I did my job to the best of my ability without compromising on my integrity.

I am not so lazy that I continue to use others as an excuse as to why I don't do my job

I educate those that attempt political intimidation on me or my employees. This actually works most of the time. When it does not I say "oh well" and continue on the right path.

I work with other code officials in other towns more than ever now to share information and band together so that we are more consistent.

I will go to my grave knowing that I gave my best shot in this industry and refused to cave in to those that attempt to contaminate and undermine the system.

Like I heard someone once say: "I don't embrace excuses, I only embrace solutions"

So each and every one of us should be banding together and standing for what you believe in, especially when you know it is the law and you are right. If you don't then you are just as much part of the problem for now pushing back with education and common sense.

So you can whine, moan, groan and complain while you allow others to walk all over you or you can do your job. Real simple.
 
Darren Emery said:
I think I'll stick around and keep moving the bar higher every chance I get.
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For many small jurisdictions around here there is a saying that goes something like this;

"ask for a little at a time; eventually you'll end up with the whole pie; ask for the whole pie and you'll receive nothing afterwards"
 
Francis Vineyard said:
For many small jurisdictions around here there is a saying that goes something like this;"ask for a little at a time; eventually you'll end up with the whole pie; ask for the whole pie and you'll receive nothing afterwards"
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I like that one. I feel like I've received a good portion of the pie over the years. Like Jar said - I push back with education and common sense. Works most of the time.
 
Both of the examples cited here are garages, I don't see it as an indictment fo the contractors involved so much as an indictment of the jurisdiction for even issuing a permit that should have had all of these complaints resolved at plan check. An example is that I have a permit application in now for a 507 Square foot garage and 490 square foot Art Gallery addition on my own home, I was in today replacing 7 of the 18 sheets in the plans with revised sheets, I will probably go though this a couple of more times before the permit is issued:

1) A1 Cover

2) A2 Floor Plan

3) A3 Elevations and Sections

4) A4 Roof Plan

5) E1 Electrical

6) T24 Title 24 Energy

7) GB1 Green Building

8) GB2 Green Building

9) Site Plan

10) C1 Civil Engineering Grading Plan

11) C2 Civil Engineering Erosion Control Plan

12) C3 Civil Engineering Erosion Control Notes and Details

13) S1 Structural Engineering Notes

14) S2 Structural Engineering Foundation

15) S3 Structural Engineering Wall & Roof Plans

16) S4 Details

17) S4.1 Details

18) S5 Details

I purposely kept the living area under 500 square feet so as not to trigger several other requirements, including a huge school district fee to pay for solar panels on schools, I also filed my application on June 30th so as not to trigger the new Energy and Green code requirements that would have added a considerable amount to the cost, the Civil Engineering did include ADA details to the new curb cut and driveway approach. There will also be several Chapter 17 Special Inspections and Structural Observations that will be submitted to the City prior to Final.
 
Darren Emery said:
I would have to disagree on this one. Let me give you a ten minute tour around the older part of our town - and you'll see a very identifiable problem. Perhaps our building methods were different than yours 50 years ago, but a great many of these garages are leaning enough to be a problem. Not just a cosmetic issue. Structural failure in many cases. I think we've taken the bracing requirements a bit too far - but to say there's no problem, is a bit of an oversimplification, IMO.
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I too have seen many leaning older garages, but they typically have advanced rot from roof and or wall water management failures.

I know it does not meet code but my point is that code has gone too far.
 
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I've seen garages that were held up by the stuff in the garage. I can rock one building with bare hands. I could get it going enough to fall down. It's been there for the 20 years I've known the owner.
 
Conarb, I feel your pain, will they allow a PDF to be submitted? 18 sheets, "That's a small tree!"

pc1
 
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